Power-operated vehicle



S. USBORN.

APPLICATION man JAN.23. 1920.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

ARTHUR SPRAGUE OSBORN,' OF 'KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

POWER-OPERATED VEHICLE.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 23, 1920. Serial No. 353,515.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR SPRAGUE ()s- Bonx, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Power-Operated Velncles, of WlllOh' the following is a specification.

My invention relates. to nnprovements 1n power operated vehicles, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with a tractor driven by. an explosive engine having an ignition electrical circuit.

The object of my invention is to provide a power operated vehicle with means for shutting off the power automatically when the vehicle tilts to a predetermined angle, thereby preventing the driving mechanism from overturning thevehicle when the latter strikes an obstruction of a certain nature.

My invention provides further a. novel circuit controller arranged to render the cir-' cult lnactive when a vehicle carrying the controller tilts to a Q Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away. of an ordinary form of tractor provided with my improvement.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the oil container and parts carried thereby. the pendulum being shown in the normal position, the View being on theline 22 of'Fig. 4:.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of what is shown in Fig, 2.

Fig. 4: is a top view of the container, the cover being partly broken away.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4..-.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts in the, different views.

1 designates a support. preferably a container or receptacle .for liquid. such as lubricating oil, having an open upper end downwardly from the electrode 13.

adapted to be normally closed by a remov- 'able cover 2. y

The support 1 is adapted to be fastened in any suitable manner, as by bolts 4 at the bottom thereof to the frame 5, or any other suitable portion of a power operated vehicle so as to tilt therewith.

In Fig. 1, 6 designates the magneto of an ordinary explosive auto engine,having the usual terminal '7, and coil box 8. 9 and 10 designate respectively two conductors which are respectively connected to the terminal'7 and the coil box 8. The conductors 9 and 10 are also respectively connected to two binding posts 11 and 12 which are mounted on the cover 2 and respectively electrically connected to two contact electrodes 13 and 14. which are, as are the binding posts 11 and- 12, insulated from the cover by insulation 15 and 16. The electrode 13 is movable into and out of contact with the'electrode 14, and is, preferably a spring strip, the tension of which normally forces it to separate from the electrode 14.

17 designates a gravity actuated device,

preferably a pendulum having a spherical supporting ball 18 mounted in a bearing 19 so as to swing in any direction. The bearing 19 is supported by a horizontal partition 20 in the receptacle 1. the partition being provided with a filling opening 21 normally Patented Apr. 4, 19 22.

closed by a screw cap 22. The space in the receptacle 1 below the partition 20 may be filled or partly filled with a liquid 23, preferably lubricating oil into which the pendulu'm' 17 extends. The oil serves the double function of lubricating the bearing 19 and to slow down the swinging of the pendulum 17 so that the latter will not be operatively affected by the usual jolting and swaying of the machine.

The upper end of the pendulum 17 is provided with a head 24, preferably convex on the upper side, and adapted to supportthe electrode 13 in contact with theelectrode 14 bymeans of a vertical pin 25 extend li rlilg e head 24 is of insulating material, such as hard rubber.

In the ordinary running of the machine, the head 24 holds the electrode 13 in contact with the electrode 14, in which position of the electrodes, as shown in Fig. 2, the current will pass in the ignition circuit to the coil box 8 by way of the conductor 10, the binding post 12, e ectrodes 14: and 13, binding post 11 and conductor 9 nal 7. Y

The electrodes 13 and 14 will be held in contact with each other, and the ignition circuit will be unbroken at such point, as long as the pin 25 rests upon the head 24, which will be the case during the ordinary running of the machine and when the latter is not tilted to. an unusual or dangerous degree. In case that the machine tilts in any direction, to a pre-determined angle, the pin 25 will slip off from the head 24, the pendulum 17 being always in a vertical position, and the electrode 13 will spring downwardly and separate from the electrode 14, as shown in Fig. 3, thus breaking the ignition circuit between the electrodes 13 and 14. The ignifrom the termition circuit being broken, will effect a shutting off of the power and the engine will stoprunning the machine, thus avoiding possible overturning of the machine, due to the operation of the power.

It sometimes happens that in the operation of a tractor, it strikes an obstruction, or careens to one side, due to the slope of the ground, and the operator of the machine being taken unawares, loses his self-possession and neglects to shut off the power. Continued application of the power under such circumstances may cause the machine to overturn, when, with the power shut off, this would not happen. With my improvement, when the machine tilts to a certain angle, the power is automatically shut off by the automatic breaking of the ignition circuit. After the machine has been righted from't'he angle to which it has been tilted, the operator lifts the contact spring 13, by means of a finger hold 26 with which it is provided, thus re-establishing connection between the electrodes 13 and 14 and permitting the pendulum 17 to swing to the vertical position with its head 24 disposed so as to support the electrode 13 in contact with the elec trode 14.

The machine will then again be in operative condition.

To enable the operator to grasp the finger hold 26, the latter may be extended through a hole 27 in the cover 2.

1 do not limit my invention to the struc-' ture shown and described, as many modifications, within the scope of the appended claims, may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I'claim is 1. In a poweroperated vehicle having driving means including an electric ignition circuit having two electrodes, the combination with said two electrodes, a pendulum adapted to normally hold said electrodes in contact with each other and arranged to swing in all directions, the electrodes when not so held by the pendulum being adapted to separate from each other, and means ear-- I'ied by the vehicle and supporting the pendulum in a manner such that, when the vehicle tilts to a pre-determined angle and in all directions, the pendulum will permit the electrodes to separate.

2. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a pendulum, of a support therefor on which the pendulum is adapted to swing, and two electrodes carried by said support, one of the electrodes being movable and adapted to be held by the pendulum in contact with the other electrodes and adapt ed to be released from said contact, when said sup )ort tilts to a pre-determined angle and in a 1 directions. 3. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a support, of a pendulum pivoted thereon, and two electrodes, one be ing movable, carried by said support, the movable electrode being adapted to be supported by said pendulum and to be held. by

the latter in contact with the other electrode, and having means when unsupported by said pendulum to move out of contactwith the other electrodes, the movable electrode being released from the pendulum when the support tilts to .a pre-determined angle.

4. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a container for liquid adapted to be attached to and to tilt with a vehicle, of a pendulum pivotally supported in said container and adapted to swing in said liquid, and two electrodes one of which is movable and adapted to be normally held by said pendulum in contact with the other electrode and when unsupported by the pendulum having means for automatically moving out of contact with the other electrode, the pendulum being adapted to release the movable electrode, when said container tilts to a are-determined angle.

-n a device of the kind described, the combination with a support, of a pendulum pivoted therein so as to swing in any direction, and two electrodes carried by said sup port, one being adapted to normally separate from the other, and being adapted to be supported by and held in contact with the other electrode by the pendulum and releasable from the pendulum when said support tilts to a predetermined position.

6. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a receptacle for liquid having a cover, a pendulum supported in said receptacle so as to swing in said liquid, and two electrodes carried by the cover, one of. the electrodes being movable and being adapted to be supported by the pendulum and held thereby in contact with the other electrode and releasable from the pendulum when the receptacle tilts to a predetermined an le. t

n testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ARTHUR.- SPRAGU O B RN. 

